


puppy love

by ikonisch (discordinparadise)



Category: iKON (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Confusion, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Ice Cream, M/M, Misunderstandings, Puppy Love, but there're spots of angst too, fluff upon fluff, jiwon loves yunhyeong to bits and pieces, jiwon's pov, lots of kisses, seen as, yunbob ftw, yunhyeong’s too pretty and jiwon can’t handle it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-19 15:02:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17603555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/discordinparadise/pseuds/ikonisch
Summary: Their friends called what Jiwon felt for Yunhyeong 'puppy love' and it fit so well, in a way that Jiwon wished it wouldn't. The definition of the notion, a term describing (often youthful) feelings of romantic or platonic love resembling the adoring affection of a puppy was something that Jiwon found both sweet but borderline offensive at the same time. It made him feel a little bitter because puppy love was never taken seriously. People called it short-term, infatuation, the opposite of serious but Jiwon was serious. Or, at the least, he was serious about Yunhyeong. He wanted to be serious about him.Wasn't that all that really mattered?





	puppy love

\- Ten pm. Footsteps sighted. Or heard. Jiwon doesn't know terminology, but the roommate's back and it elates him though he still decides to try and go back to bed.

\- Eleven pm. Shuffling. Roommate's not asleep. Times are worrying.

\- Half past midnight. Yowling. Is that a real animal, or is the roommate watching cat videos? Jiwon can only be dumbfounded.

\- One am. A crash made clear. Jiwon sits up in alarm, almost getting whiplash, but then he hears a soft voice sigh 'I hope that didn't wake Jiwon up' and it placates him.

\- Two am. Footsteps again, stopping by his door and Jiwon holds his breath but then they're moving past, and he's frowning.

\- Ten minutes later. Footsteps are back. An unforeseen predicament. Roommate peeks head through door, Jiwon tries his best to stay completely immobile but then the roommate whispers 'night, Ji' and the plan of complete withdrawal fails. Miserably.

"Are you okay?" Jiwon blurted out before he could stop himself and Yunhyeong froze, wide-eyed and worried as he said, "Oh no, did I wake you up? I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"No, I'm...I haven't really gone to sleep yet. Why haven't you?"

"I don't know, I just..." Yunhyeong trailed off when he saw Jiwon patting a spot on his bed, and then Yunhyeong was smiling as he took the spot, sitting on it lightly and Jiwon stared at him a little, forgetting about his goal of not being too overbearing. To be fair, it had been a while since he had seen the guy. Over ten hours! "Haven't really been feeling it. I tried to make some milk to get me sleepy, but I dropped the cup and it broke...was that what woke you?"

Jiwon shook his head. "No, don't worry."

"Sorry for being out so late too..."

"Hanbin said that you were looking at puppies. I know you like dogs so seriously, you can get one and I won't mind at all, I'll look after them too! Make sure they're cute and likes dress-up, though, they're gonna be our reindeer for _every single_ Christmas."

Yunhyeong snorted, grinning as he reached out and ruffled Jiwon's already messy hair and the younger beamed at him sleepily, eyes crinkling. "I've just been thinking about it but, I don't think I'll get one in the end."

"Aww...alright, it's your choice."

"Have a nice sleep, okay?"

Jiwon nodded, melting in merriment when Yunhyeong leant forward to kiss his cheek before leaving quietly, closing the door behind him which was thoughtful. Jiwon was happy as he sank back down onto his bed, closing his eyes but then he realised that he hadn't wished Yunhyeong good night back and he frowned, deciding to go for the next best thing and tap out a quick text to his roommate before pressing the send button, and then he could finally relax. A smile grew when he saw Yunhyeong's reply of _'sfdjhjds cute but seriously? go to sleep idiot!! gn to you too'_.

Jiwon went to sleep with a smile.

•••

Their friends called what Jiwon felt for Yunhyeong 'puppy love' and it fit so well, in a way that Jiwon wished it wouldn't. The definition of the notion, a term describing (often youthful) feelings of romantic or platonic love resembling the adoring affection of a puppy was something that Jiwon found both sweet but borderline offensive at the same time. It made him feel a little bitter because puppy love was never taken seriously. People called it short-term, infatuation, the opposite of serious but Jiwon _was_ serious. Or, at the least, he was serious about Yunhyeong. He _wanted_ to be serious about him.

Wasn't that all that really mattered?

"Hi," Jiwon said brightly from where he was leaning against some cupboards, waving his spoon as Yunhyeong walked into the kitchen looking like a supermodel fresh from manufacture. But Jiwon could see all the small cracks in his perfection, like soft bags under his eyes, the wisps of hair sticking up, the small amount of stubble on his chin. It made him all the more enamoured as Yunhyeong walked up to him and pecked his lips, laying a hand on the younger's waist for leverage while reaching over him to open a cupboard and get the jam. Yunhyeong tasted like toothpaste. Mint. Mint and happiness. Yeah, Jiwon was in a cheesy mood today.

"Morning. I'm surprised you're awake after sleeping so late last night?"

"Yeah, I don't know why I'm up either. Just didn't feel like sleeping any longer."

"Okay," Yunhyeong replied with a smile, pressing a few kisses to the side of Jiwon's face and the latter laughed a little at the tickling, fluttering feeling. "I was hoping you'd sleep in, though. We're going to that restaurant thing tonight, remember? We'd be staying up late again, I don't want you to pass out on me."

"No, it's fine! I'll have the most energy there, I swear."

"Yeah, I guess I don't doubt that...okay, I'm just gonna go make toast, don't miss me too much," Yunhyeong teased, knocking his forehead against Jiwon's and the younger thought he was frowning though he was probably pouting instead, crossing his arms.

"I'm not _that_ obsessed with you..."

"Okay, that's good," Yunhyeong replied casually, letting go of Jiwon and when he moved away to the toaster, Jiwon was okay for a moment. He didn't need to go towards Yunhyeong. He could stay independent, and not overbearing, and just simply pick his bowl back up and eat his cornflakes- oh look at that, he was already moving, Jiwon really, _really_ hated his legs.

"You're so mean," Jiwon mumbled, wrapping his arms loosely around Yunhyeong's torso from behind and Yunhyeong turned his head slightly to raise an eyebrow at him, clearly amused. "And this isn't me _missing_ you, okay, this is me being...affectionate! I can do that."

"I know, you do it a lot."

"Shut up, you love me..."

"I know."

"What?"

"I do love you," Yunhyeong replied brightly, sending Jiwon's stunned face a grin before going back to his toast. All Jiwon could do was flush red, feeling his emotions working themselves up into a confused muddle as he slowly released Yunhyeong, letting him go back to his endeavours but not before asking a small, "Really?"

Yunhyeong turned around to face Jiwon, leaning back on the counter as he gave the younger a curious look. Jiwon didn't know what kind of emotions were playing on his face right now, whether it was withdrawal or confusion or sadness or anything worrying, but Yunhyeong was the one seeing it and whatever it was made him take a step forward and wrap his arms around Jiwon's neck, trying to catch the other's eyes but Jiwon was closing them, resting his hands on Yunhyeong's hips even though he was hesitant to.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, really, it's...stupid," Jiwon muttered, opening his eyes a little and though his face was so close to Yunhyeong's, he kept his gaze on the floor. "And it's not- not like it's a _bad_ thing. You just surprised me."

"How?"

"When you said you...you know. The love thing."

It all reminded Jiwon of two nights ago, when he had seen Yunhyeong being all stressed over something in his room. To this day Jiwon still didn't know what it was but he had wanted to help and make him feel better because he really never wanted Yunhyeong to feel bad. He didn't realise, at first, that Yunhyeong was getting angry at him because the guy never got angry at _anyone_. Maybe miffed, but not full on hurt-your-feelings, yell-in-your-face angry. Jiwon was just doing what he thought was sweet, helpful, and he was in the midst of saying 'I love you' before Yunhyeong snapped at him. Not even that many words.

_"You're so overbearing, can you please go away?!"_

Not that many words, but it hurt so bad.

Jiwon had only smiled and nodded, leaving without another word, the epitome of 'it's no big deal'. But the instant he left the room, closing the door behind him, he felt heavy. It _was_ a big deal. He didn't feel like the bad guy but worse, like the annoying little side character who had no significance. They were just there for entertainment and to be picked on. He took it to heart more than he ever did with anything because _Yunhyeong_ had said it, not anyone else, and he knew that it was true even though he hated to admit it to himself. Even now as he had been trying the hardest he could to fix it and be as casual and underbearing (or rather...just bearing?) as he could manage, it was difficult.

That was why Yunhyeong's 'I love you' surprised him. How could Yunhyeong love someone that he found a burden?

Yunhyeong was snapping him out of his thoughts then, tilting his head up with one hand and Jiwon looked at him, into his concerned, caring eyes and Jiwon suddenly felt terrible for ever doubting anything he had ever said. "Why would that kind of thing surprise you?"

"It's- you know. You've never said that before."

Yunhyeong's eyes grew so wide and Jiwon had to smile at that. "Really? Wait, really? Like, _really_ really?"I 

"Yeah."

"But I do. I have done. For a while," Yunhyeong muttered, looking away as a million different cogs seemed to be spinning around in his mind and Jiwon hoped they weren't turning too fast. "I- you know what? I don't know what I'm saying, I'm still in sleep-nonsense-mode so let's just, I'm just gonna do the toast thing-"

"I love you too," Jiwon interrupted gently, eyes sparkling as butterflies swished their wings about happily in his stomach and even though it wasn't the first time he had said that, it felt like the first time that it had really _meant_ something. He could see it in the way Yunhyeong flicked his eyes back to look up at him, his irises now softened up like warm chocolate, and when they both moved forwards at the same time which only resulted in their heads bumping together with a chorus of 'ouch,' Jiwon cracked one of his closed-on-impact eyes open to see Yunhyeong pouting and rubbing his head irritatedly. It would have been an absolute missed opportunity on Jiwon's part if he hadn't leant forward once more to brush his lips against Yunhyeong's to kiss that pout away. Good thing he did.

•••

Jiwon felt very happy-go-lucky as he grinned at himself in the mirror, fiddling with his tie. He looked quite dapper in a suit, and with his glasses and the earrings that Yunhyeong had bought him a while ago with the words 'guess what it's for', he looked nicer than he thought he would.

He had looked on the calendar that earrings day, staring at it really hard until he realised - 18th December, exactly one year since Yunhyeong had given him the best early birthday present ever by taking hold of Jiwon's hand at Hanbin's Christmas party and saying completely out of the blue, "Let's look for apartments together when this is done."

"Why?"

"So you can move in with me, college boy."

Jiwon winked at himself in the mirror and his reflection winked back, all smiles and currently messy hair and Jiwon grinned wider, though it faltered a little when he noticed Yunhyeong peering at him by the door, a cup in his hand and a soft smile on his face.

"You look great," Yunhyeong said amusedly, a twinkle in his eyes as he set the cup down and walked towards Jiwon who frowned, whining sulkily, "I wanted it to be a _surprise_. I thought I locked the door!"

"You didn't in the slightest."

"Ugh..."

Yunhyeong rolled his eyes and smoothed his hands across Jiwon's shoulders gently but surely, like making sure they were his, that _Jiwon_ was his and the younger bit his lip, averting his eyes from seeing the sight in the mirror. Then Yunhyeong was spinning Jiwon around, holding on to his arms as he looked at his whole outfit properly, eyes widening. But Jiwon was staring at him too now and he could feel himself stand up straighter, his heart lifting as well as his entire self as stars filled his eyes. Yunhyeong just looked...perfect. Delicately styled hair, pink lip tint (or maybe it was just flavoured lip balm), a beautiful dark suit that hung off his body like it was made for him.

"Well," Jiwon said slowly, trying to hide his unbridled awe. "You..."

"It's fine, I get it," Yunhyeong retaliated, grinning as he ran a hand down Jiwon's suit jacket and the younger felt shy as goosebumps rose on his skin even though Yunhyeong wasn't really doing much. It was just the thought of being so close to him, while - "Wow, of _course_ you're not wearing a shirt under that."

"Tell me that you don't like what you see then I'll change," Jiwon retorted immediately, striking a pose and peeking a satisfied look at Yunhyeong when he started laughing. His hand didn't leave Jiwon's jacket, only slipping down a little to grip the curve of his waist lightly before he was leaning forward and the teasing grin on Yunhyeong's face sent off alarm bells in Jiwon's head. "B-Besides, I'll put a shirt on soon! I'm not _that_ out there."

"Your suit's white. So pretty. Like an angel."

"Yeah...?"

"Do you know why angels can fly?"

Jiwon blinked, wondering if this was some kind of cute pick-up line. "Why?"

"Because—because they-" Yunhyeong was trying very hard not to laugh while failing immensely, bubbling over with giggles and Jiwon smiled exasperatedly, about to flick Yunhyeong's forehead to get him to spit it out before the elder finally yelped, "They take themselves lightly!"

"You what?" Jiwon asked confusedly as Yunhyeong kept on laughing against him, letting his head fall against the younger's chest and Jiwon had to think for a good moment, trying to make sense of it before he finally worked it out. " _Ohhh_ so...ooh, good one."

"Ah, you're so slow."

"I'm not usually! I just..." Jiwon trailed off into a noise of annoyance before Yunhyeong was resting a hand on his cheek, smiling up at him and Jiwon, like always, got a little lost in his eyes.

"I didn't quite know that angels could fly this low, though."

Jiwon flushed a little red but he was a failure if he couldn't take this in his stride. "Guess you've been mistaken."

"You must be lost, right? Heaven's a really long way from here," Yunhyeong asked with a teasing, raised eyebrow, walking a finger up Jiwon's neck, brushing over his Adam's apple and the younger rolled his eyes, appalled but still so entranced by Yunhyeong's seductive cheesiness. What a combination of words.

"Not lost, just visiting."

"What time do you need to go back?" Yunhyeong asked and Jiwon moved in close to him, their bodies pressing up against each other's lightly as Yunhyeong's fingers moved back down to stroke over Jiwon's hips. It was honestly an exhilarating feeling, the softest, most familiar of touches. "To heaven?"

"Not for a while."

"So you can spare a lowly human one night?"

"I think that can be arranged," Jiwon replied, grinning dumbly at Yunhyeong before they fit their lips together gently, as smooth as a waterfall, feeling as right as ever. Jiwon didn't know how long they kissed but he knew he felt so dizzy after, like he had just woken up from the best dream and then Yunhyeong was amusedly scratching him under his chin which always felt nice, so Jiwon leant into it.

"Come on, put a shirt on then let's go."

"Okay..."

They were going to walk it since the restaurant wasn't that far away but when they were met with strange looks the instant they left the apartment complex, Jiwon stared straight back, eyes narrowed, while Yunhyeong tugged his sleeve. "Car?"

Jiwon nodded, giving the starers the 'you're going _down_ ' gesture with his fingers. "Car."

Jiwon always found car rides tiresome if he wasn't driving, because sitting down in one place doing nothing for so long while a belt confined you was _not_ his thing. Thank God Yunhyeong would let him go off and ramble about anything and everything, even saying things at times showing he was listening and these were the kind of things that made Jiwon think that Yunhyeong was a saint, even if his interjections were sometimes borderline stupid. But that was fine because Jiwon was _past_ borderline stupid and everything was great.

Yet this time around, it was _Yunhyeong_ babbling on about the food at the restaurant and all the reviews he had heard while Jiwon drove, smiling gently in reply and giving Yunhyeong heart eyes whenever they were at a red light. He was trying his best to listen but words of skillet cod and risotto were just going straight over his head, and he hoped that Yunhyeong didn't realise but he probably did. He still went on anyway, though, until they actually reached the restaurant and Yunhyeong was so hyped that Jiwon had to open the car door for him. "Shall we go, my prince?"

"Yes- no wait wait _wait_ , let me check that I one hundred percent made the reservation-"

"Yun-"

"If we didn't then honest to God, we won't be able to get _in_ -"

"Hey-"

"Oh my God, where's my phone- WHERE IS MY-"

"Yunhyeong! You left it at home, said you wanted no distractions!" Jiwon yelled, finally getting a word in edgeways as he leant down and shook Yunhyeong by the shoulders. Yunhyeong blinked, looking up at Jiwon all innocent and wide-eyed before muttering a small, "Oh."

"Come on, it'll be great, and I was there when you made the reservation. We'll get our table so let's have a feast."

"Alright," Yunhyeong sighed, taking Jiwon's arm for a moment to help him get out of the car. "You'll let me use your phone for selfies and inserts though, right? I was kinda counting on that..."

Jiwon couldn't help but smile. "Please never change."

They walked down the road from where they parked, and Jiwon was trying to search for the restaurant until he realised that he couldn't remember what it was called, and for a moment he couldn't even remember his _own_ _name_ when Yunhyeong skipped over to take his hand, and Jiwon allowed himself to press up a little closer, just a little, and Yunhyeong smiled at him sympathetically. "Yeah, it's cold, isn't it?"

"Suits really aren't that warm."

"Did you think they were?"

"No, but it's not like they're particularly known for being _cold_ , or _thin_ , or fucking summerwear or the like. They're just...fancy. So they should be practical too."

"Have you been thinking about this? You sound heated."

"Heated? We're talking about being cold!"

Yunhyeong shook his head in utter amusement, laying a hand on Jiwon's chest, leaning in to kiss him, and a fluttery feeling unravelled itself in Jiwon from the inside out. The kiss seemed longer than it was, but he still wanted more after Yunhyeong moved away.

Seeing the restaurant down the street gave him weird feelings. It reminded him a lot of how this, _all_ of this had started, back when them and their friends went for a formal dinner so they could gorge on lobster and grilled chicken, and somehow it had ended with Yunhyeong pinning Jiwon up to the door by the backseat of his car and kissing him for a reason beyond both of them, only a _little_ bit inebriated but it might have started with mistletoe then it escalated. Or maybe not. Who knew? Jiwon remembered the night, remembered Yunhyeong's hot mouth against his and their entangled bodies.

He remembered the feeling of shame and guilt during it. Thinking, _how could I have done this? How stupid do I have to be to have thought that this was a good idea? He doesn't deserve me, or this, he needs better. He's going to hate me._ But then Yunhyeong's hand was stroking down his face, his lips reading, "What's wrong? You're zoning out."

"This is stupid, isn't it? Don't hate me," Jiwon said and he was amazed at how he was able to keep the wobble out of his voice, but he was pretty sure that he was almost visibly crying. But maybe not because otherwise soft, sweet Yunhyeong would be brushing his tears away but all that happened was Yunhyeong's eyes softening, and Jiwon didn't know that was possible.

"I don't hate you," Yunhyeong whispered, reaching down and Jiwon's heart leapt into his throat when Yunhyeong's hand slowly intertwined with his, each finger, so calculated. "I could never."

Jiwon nodded, feeling like he'd really believe every word that came out of Yunhyeong's mouth as he murmured a soft, "Okay," and Yunhyeong kissed him again, one last time before the others caught them and it was very hard to explain things inbetween all of their screaming.

Somehow, it sparked something. Even if the 'boyfriend' word had never been discussed, Jiwon found himself not caring that much when he got kisses and love and warm hugs, _and_ when he got a roommate out of it a few months later because struggling music students didn't really get by well. Nor were they favoured by the government. He hadn't thought that this kind of thing could have ever happened, especially not with Yunhyeong of all people who had really seemed to be the type to settle down with a nice girl and have tea breaks at croquet in the garden of his big-ass mansion. Hell, Jiwon hadn't even _known_ that Yunhyeong was into men. Maybe he should have guessed. That thing about like recognising like.

"Time to go in," Jiwon said once they reached the restaurant, eyes bright as he looked up at it. Yeah, it looked good. He had seen a lot of restaurants before (not the same as actually having _dined_ in all of them) and this one was up in probably the top twenty, and the food from Yunhyeong's storytelling would probably ease it into the top ten. Maybe pushing a little at eleven, or twelve. "It looks cool. They have a good array of non-seafood stuff, right? I'm not really used to eating fancy food, you know that...maybe your cooking would have settled my stomach a little when it comes to these kinds of things. I don't know. But let's just go in, like why the hell are we still out here in...the cold...Yun?"

When Jiwon looked back, realising a little too late that Yunhyeong had let go of his hand, he saw Yunhyeong standing a few steps behind and staring at Jiwon with some kind of undefined twinkle in his eyes. Jiwon couldn't tell if it was negative or positive, and he didn't know how it made him feel. He was observant, but never amazingly good at reading feelings, and that was why he loved how Yunhyeong was either so expressive that even a monkey could guess his emotions, or that he'd just say what was up. And this time, it was the second option. He spoke up.

"Maybe we shouldn't go into the restaurant."

Jiwon didn't think he- no, he _knew_ that he hadn't heard right. "After all your gushing? Did you hit your head somehow, Song?"

"No, I just don't think it kind of...fits. Or at least, not right now," Yunhyeong said, hurrying forward to take hold of Jiwon's hand and the guy looked so uneasy now. Jiwon ran his thumb over the back of his hand. "God, maybe this is stupid. This _is_ stupid. But...there's an ice-cream place down the road. Not a restaurant. Much less formal."

"It's night time, we're in suits, it's freezing, we need to eat dinner at some point," Jiwon said slowly, just to make sure that he wasn't hearing things, "and you want to get ice-cream."

Yunhyeong looked sheepish, ridiculously so, as his other hand in his pocket fidgeted. God, he was cute. "That's not supposed to be the point."

"I know. But that doesn't mean I know what the actual point is."

"You will. Trust me, you will."

Then Jiwon's eyes were widening as Yunhyeong started running off, their hand-hold making Jiwon obliged to follow and it felt like his arm was being pulled out of its socket until he caught up - and this was new. In a way. They were both spontaneous people, but Jiwon was usually the spontaneous one in the _relationship_ , specifically, and having Yunhyeong pull him into something unplanned and reckless after such meticulous care in something else was _so_ _weird_.

Jiwon had never been more convinced that he was in love.

•••

How they got here, uncaring about onlookers (non-existent ones since there really weren't many people coming to an ice-cream place at eight pm, like why was it even open?) as they became a disgusting couple who fed each other ice-cream while getting some on noses and even eyebrows, was something unbeknownst to Jiwon. Hell, the table acting as a barrier stopped mattering because once Jiwon got one taste of how an ice-cream Yunhyeong kiss tasted like, nothing couldn't stop him. Then Yunhyeong was sliding into his side of the booth to lean up against him, and they were giggling, and their teeth were cold, and everything was so ridiculous.

"This is way better than A* food."

Jiwon hated how his heart fluttered in hope, but he still shot it down. "Shut up, I know you don't think that."

"I do, it's because _you're_ A*," Yunhyeong bit back like the cheesy fucker he was, curling into Jiwon for a moment like a _kitten_ before he pulled away but it had still happened, and Jiwon was still blushing.

"And you say _I'm_ obsessed with _you_."

"Oi, that's fact," Yunhyeong teased, poking Jiwon's cheek and the latter's smile faded a little as he looked away. "Besides, I prefer love to food. I know that may come as a surprise."

"I thought food _is_ love."

"Damn it...you've got me there..."

So the atmosphere started cooling down (Jiwon would make an ice-cream pun but Yunhyeong had been saying too many of those), and Jiwon was pretty sure that he wasn't supposed to love this as much as he was loving it. Then Yunhyeong's hand rested on his upper thigh and Jiwon's stupid brain immediately thought _ooh la la_ and that made him accidentally snort his ice-cream and now they were in an A&E scene, with Jiwon in irrevocable pain while Yunhyeong patted his back worriedly. No more thigh action. Jiwon was just an idiot.

"You're such a baby," Yunhyeong giggled, a spurt of merriment in a desolate world (yes this was emo-lovesick-Jiwon incoming) as his thumb brushed some ice-cream off of Jiwon's eyebrow and the latter shook his head, frowning.

" _You're_ a baby."

"You're the baby!"

"No. You're my baby," Jiwon said with his tone of voice that he knew Yunhyeong could never resist, tugging Yunhyeong a little closer and the elder actually stumbled into him, silent, eyes wide, and Jiwon had never really felt such glee.

"I'm the one who calls you baby..."

"I don't know," Jiwon shrugged. "I might start doing it too."

And then the soft, tickly kiss on his cheek made Jiwon think that no, he didn't really mind being babied, but Yunhyeong deserved to be too. He was infamously too cute for his own good and Jiwon couldn't waste the power he had in his grasp for only a limited amount of time, and if it amounted into both of them whispering 'baby' a million times between feeding each other ice cream like it was some kind of battle then so be it, because it made Jiwon feel (deliriously) like he wasn't the only one in deplorable head-over-heels puppy love.

"H-How the _fuck_ aren't you out of breath?!" Jiwon gasped out, hoisting himself up onto the edge of the bridge as he tried to calm his heartbeat down after they had just raced down the high street - and it was a complete lie, because Yunhyeong was clearly a little out of breath but he was faring better than Jiwon was, and the stupid beautiful smile on his face was making Jiwon annoyed. "I wanna say I need to get into shape but, I'm ripped? So what the fuck?!"

"I'm more athletic than people think," was all Yunhyeong said in a laugh, which wasn't a good enough answer, but he was coming in close, leaning into Jiwon's space and Jiwon had to really make sure not to topple back into the river. "I swear! I look skinny but I have a good array under these clothes, don't test me."

"Let me under your shirt then you can prove it," Jiwon said, smirking as he reached out and took hold of Yunhyeong's tie, tugging him forward, and Jiwon was really a child of God and everything yes praise the _Lord_ but provocative lines were something he excelled at and he loved making Yunhyeong blush. Even dolls couldn't blush as prettily as he did. God would understand. God would get it. God didn't think he sucked. Shit, was he really about to go back into his fifteen-year-old 'does God still love me even though I'm gay?' phase?

"Isn't that kind of thing supposed to happen _after_ a date?" Yunhyeong finally teased back, and Jiwon almost laughed until it dawned on him. And everything was silent, and Yunhyeong's smile wavered, faltered, then it dropped.

_After a date._

Date.

After all this time, Jiwon had really thought that Yunhyeong was being so careful about the words 'boyfriend', 'relationship', 'couple', ' _date_ '. Jiwon was having to constantly force himself to think that this wasn't going to last because they weren't moving forward, they seemed to be stuck in a time loop where their feelings, or at least Jiwon's feelings, would grow but there were no grounds available to act on them. No grounds that _allowed_ him to. And if this was a slip-up then Jiwon would understand, but all of his insecure thoughts were colliding and he couldn't let it go.

"This is a date?"

His voice came out smaller than he thought it ever could. And it wasn't level, or confident, or simply curious because Jiwon knew it was more, and by the look Yunhyeong was giving him, so did he. Jiwon was really wondering if he should have just brushed it off instead of questioning just _one_ _word_ because he didn't think he was ready for everything to change, not when he loved this thing between him and Yunhyeong too much, and Jiwon's heart was breaking as the seconds ticked by.

"We've gone out like this before," Yunhyeong finally said, his voice sounding strained and Jiwon nodded, settling his gaze on the ground as he kicked his legs back and forth just slightly. He didn't know what else to do with all this nervous energy.

"Were those dates too?"

"I'm not sure," Yunhyeong said quietly, morosely confused. "I guess it's not completely my choice...to...define it?"

Jiwon furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

"I mean...let's just forget I said date, okay, it was weird-"

"No," Jiwon interrupted quickly, looking up and taking Yunhyeong's hand. Observance of the out of ordinary was always something that overpowered anything that would chip at Jiwon's insecurity and he _would_ be crumbling to pieces at this moment if he didn't remember Yunhyeong saying the words 'it's not completely my choice'. "I'm asking _you_. What do you think this is?" And Jiwon didn't know if this was just about this outing, or if he was meaning the whole relationship now.

Yunhyeong wasn't ever one to lie. He looked slightly scared, worried, and Jiwon really heard a crack in his voice when he said, "A date."

"Jesus Christ. That's all you needed to say, no dramatics," Jiwon sighed with reassuring means, holding out his arms so he could pull Yunhyeong into him and make sure the guy wasn't going to break down because, yeah, maybe this _was_ a big deal but Jiwon could play it off like it wasn't.

"Is it a date for you?"

Okay. Perhaps the tightening of his chest was making this into a big deal again.

"Yeah," Jiwon said, clearing his throat as he nuzzled into Yunhyeong, pressing a warm kiss into the elder's neck. "'Course it is."

Yunhyeong's arms settled around him, keeping him from falling into the river much more securely than before, and his eyes were so big as they looked into Jiwon's. Probably prettier than the moon behind them. "And that's okay?"

Jiwon wanted to nod a frantic 'yes' one million times if it would make Yunhyeong stop worrying. Besides, it was far _more_ than okay for Jiwon because his 'smitten' levels for this guy were so high that they were somewhere near cloud nine. No, the only thing holding Jiwon back from anything was: _"you're so overbearing"._

Jiwon still let himself say yes and, even if just for a limited amount of time, the radiant smile that Yunhyeong gave him eliminated all of his fears. This night, this _date_ (the weight of that word was finally hitting Jiwon and now he was starting to get brilliantly giddy) was meant for something akin to being in love and carefree and – Jiwon never wanted it to end. Even when their stomachs rumbled and Yunhyeong murmured something about going home, Jiwon just kissed him. Just, anything, he'd do _anything_ to elongate the night, and when Yunhyeong melted against him, Jiwon knew it was working. A few more fairytale hours where they were like this was all that he was asking for.

•••

"Your room," Yunhyeong murmured, not letting their lips unlock as he pressed Jiwon up against the door, and the latter sucked in a breath as he felt his back hit the surface and Yunhyeong's hand brushed against his waist as it tried to open the door, fiddling with the key but he was too distracted to be able to open it as quickly as he wanted to.

"M-My room?" Jiwon asked in confused confirmation and Yunhyeong nodded, reluctantly breaking away so he could look down at what he was doing, and Jiwon stifled a yelp when the door fell back and he stumbled a little, but Yunhyeong held him close, pushing him inside while tugging him into another kiss and Jiwon's heart sighed as he reciprocated, letting his hands run through Yunhyeong's soft hair.

"It's...it's cleaner."

"Ah."

Yunhyeong spun him around and Jiwon kicked the door closed before he pressed up closer, wrapping his arms around Yunhyeong's neck. The elder gently led him forward, the small tugs at Jiwon's shirt feeling too cute and hesitant and he couldn't help but smile, making Yunhyeong pull away and look at him in confusion. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing," Jiwon reassured, kissing Yunhyeong's cheek and the latter nodded slowly, opening his mouth to say something else but Jiwon was taking hold of his hand and pulling him towards his room, and Yunhyeong didn't seem to be complaining. It was such an exhilarating feeling to be able to push him down onto his bed, Yunhyeong's hands gripping his hips as he breathed out shakily and Jiwon littered his throat with split-second kisses, grinning when Yunhyeong laughed hazily, murmuring, "T-Tickles..."

"I know," Jiwon said, revelling in Yunhyeong blinking up at him before he tilted the guy's head up and drew their lips together, groaning softly when Yunhyeong pulled him down and locked an arm around him, fiddling mindlessly with the hem of his shirt as he licked along Jiwon's lips and their legs wound around each other's messily. At one point they both opened their eyes, still kissing, and they stared at each other for a moment with faces growing increasingly red before Yunhyeong said a weak, "Hi."

"Hi," Jiwon whispered back, a little dazed now that they had broken apart for more than five seconds and he was reflecting over the last ten minutes thinking 'how the fuck is this _happening_ ' but Yunhyeong's hand stroked up his back to curl over his nape, his perfect lips forming the most gorgeous smile that Jiwon's mind couldn't even fathom.

"Is this...are you trying to distract me from something? I mean, it's definitely working," Yunhyeong murmured as his fingers slowly crept further up into Jiwon's hair, twisting in the soft mess gently. "But now I'm getting worried because it was so out of the blue-"

"You should shut up," Jiwon whispered fondly as his thumb stroked Yunhyeong's jaw and the latter nodded, his eyes slipping shut as Jiwon leant in close again, their noses brushing and Yunhyeong's felt so cold. Jiwon wanted to kiss it a million times but he had already given up his lips and the way Yunhyeong was kissing him soft-lipped and smile-spurred, he couldn't even _think_ about pulling away. His mind had gone completely blank as Yunhyeong drew him down, closer, resting a hand on his chest as he kissed Jiwon's heavily pink cheek with a smile that Jiwon wanted engraved into him forever. He couldn't forget it, if he closed his eyes he could _still_ remember it perfectly, and Jiwon wasn't about to stop reminding himself of it. Ever.

"Aren't w-we supposed to eat...?"

"Later."

The air was getting hotter and Jiwon thought to himself that he'd honestly have to take his shirt off soon just because of the heat, _not_ because Yunhyeong's hands were wandering, cautiously but it left all sorts of tingles, all over his upper body and it was making his breath hitch. He kept dipping because he was getting weak, his arms couldn't take it and when Yunhyeong's tongue slipped into his mouth, he gave up and let himself fall onto Yunhyeong which had the latter squeaking in surprise. Jiwon didn't give him time to think about it, though, he just went back to trying his very best to keep up with the kiss and wondering where the fuck to put his arms that were just dangling by his sides now.

"You know, this is kind of nice," Yunhyeong piped out of nowhere when he'd pulled back enough and Jiwon choked a little on spit and laughter, smiling far too big as he squished Yunhyeong's cheeks in his hands and how was _this_ the moment that Yunhyeong was turning pink?

"God, I love you, you know that?"

Yunhyeong was quiet for a second, blinking before he opened his mouth but Jiwon deadpanned, "Yes, I'm talking to you, not God," and Yunhyeong closed his mouth, smiling both sheepishly and happily and Jiwon shook his head in disbelief, dipping down to kiss him again. And again. Enough times until they were both laughing, and everything seemed fluttery and funny in that stupidly imperfectly brilliant way.

"Love you too," Yunhyeong hummed into his neck a few minutes later and Jiwon shivered a little, arching as Yunhyeong started undoing the buttons on his shirt but then there was a phone buzzing, Jiwon's eyes opened, and Yunhyeong looked on in confusion. "Who..."

"Let me get it," Jiwon offered, moving back to ruffle his messy hair and reach out for the phone that was lying on the edge of the bed. Sure enough, it was Yunhyeong's phone which had buzzed. Jiwon got on his way to hand it to him but then he caught his eye on the message because how could he _not_ , and he blinked.

**dongie**

_hope you're having fun puppy-sitting ^^_

"Ji?" Yunhyeong's worried voice floated over to his ears, making Jiwon snap out of it a little. "What is it?"

"What's this supposed to mean?" Jiwon asked, voice firm as he showed Yunhyeong the screen and Yunhyeong blinked, looking at it for a moment before he smiled.

"That's just-"

"So you think I'm a puppy too? _You_ see me like that too?" Jiwon asked, his voice raising a little as he threw the phone away and it made a too-loud thump noise on the ground while Yunhyeong sat up, his smile immediately fading.

"What do you-"

"God, I should've known, I should've _known_ that even you wouldn't take me seriously. Why don't I ever look at the bigger picture? I'm just a fling, aren't I? Just- just an idiot who's in love with you when you just see me as a quick source of love who'll pass," Jiwon muttered, his sharp tone dissipating into something like a breathy whisper before he laughed bitterly, shakily. "Christ. Am I overreacting? I don't care. That's all that puppy lovers are good for, right, their _emotions_ -"

"Am I missing something? What's going on with you?" Yunhyeong asked and he seemed as scared as Jiwon did which was weird, and didn't fit with what Jiwon was saying at all because otherwise Yunhyeong would be a lot more emotionless right now. But his expression screamed concern and Jiwon wondered if Yunhyeong was just a good actor, but he didn't stop the guy from coming closer and curling his fingers gently around the nape of Jiwon's neck. "What's wrong?"

"You think I'm overbearing," Jiwon said quietly. "You think I'm too much work. You'll want me gone one day. Soon."

"Oh my gosh. This is about what I said, isn't it?" Yunhyeong whispered, and Jiwon didn't even register himself nodding as Yunhyeong gently tugged him forwards and Jiwon's leg all caught up in the bedsheets made him fall onto the elder, but it didn't matter so much. He just buried his head into Yunhyeong's neck while Yunhyeong rubbed his back, pressing his lips to Jiwon's earlobe.

"I like you so- so much, I swear," Jiwon sniffed, squeezing his eyes shut. "That's why I do it. That's why I'm annoying. I don't know how to... _not_ annoy someone I like so much."

"You're not annoying."

"Don't lie. You basically said I was."

"I didn't mean it, I didn't mean how it came out," Yunhyeong replied with the saddest eyes and once again, Jiwon didn't want to believe him, but Yunhyeong's hand was slipping under his and Jiwon was already melting a little by the time Yunhyeong raised them so he could kiss the back of Jiwon's hand, never losing eye contact. "That was just a bad time."

"I know..."

"I felt so terrible after. I was sure you'd have let it go because that's what you _do_ , you're always so wonderfully carefree...and you didn't bring it up," Yunhyeong sighed, looking utterly defeated and it was making Jiwon feel every kind of sad in existence. "But I should've known it did something. I should've known from the way you get so defensive with the 'you're obsessed with me' jokes now."

"No I don't..."

"Sure. You know I didn't mean the 'arrogant' kind of overbearing, right?"

"I know, you meant the annoying type."

"Stop...look, if you're overbearing then I love you for it. What's a nicer word for it?"

"There's no 'nicer word for it', Yun, it's just not a good quality," Jiwon mumbled, raising his head before yelping when Yunhyeong's arm wrapped around his waist and pulled him down closer. Their faces would have crashed together if Jiwon hadn't stopped his head from falling in time. "You see me as a puppy-"

"Because you're cute and fun and you like it when I do this," Yunhyeong interrupted softly, moving his hand higher to scratch behind Jiwon's ear and the latter hummed, resting his head on Yunhyeong's shoulder again and the elder laughed. "See? It's not in a negative way. My cute college boy."

"But...you saying stuff like that still sounds like you're not taking me seriously..."

"Maybe I kind of thought that you didn't want to be taken seriously."

"No, I do! I do, I want this to be like any other relationship, I want us to be like, _committed_ and in _love_ and no _worries_ unless it's who'll make food. Which, to say, I would always prefer to be you because you know how bad my cooking is but I'm open to negotiations."

"No you're decent, you being 'bad' is all in your head."

Jiwon rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath, "Lies."

"If that's really what you want then let's do it. Let's be completely and utterly and grossly in love like usual but now officially," Yunhyeong said, taking hold of Jiwon's face just to stare at him for an intergalactic moment, with Jiwon holding his breath and feeling so ready to explode. Then Yunhyeong was breaking into the most radiant smile as he tugged Jiwon down into a kiss, and the only thing exploding was love as Jiwon pressed closer, kissing Yunhyeong like he was his oxygen. He wasn't, but in this moment he came close. Maybe Jiwon really was obsessed... _damn_ _it_.

"I love you, I love you," Yunhyeong kept whispering between kisses and it was making Jiwon feel all giddy and overwhelmed, he'd try and get Yunhyeong to stop but it was like the guy couldn't even hear him. Jiwon sighed and let himself enjoy it in the end, the warmth and the soft sounds Yunhyeong would make, and he was getting so dizzy.

"So if I'm a puppy then will I be the one dressing up as a reindeer every Christmas?" Jiwon suddenly revelated at a random point and Yunhyeong giggled.

"Seriously?"

"Well, I'm just saying."

"Yeah, you'd be a cute reindeer. But at Christmas I'd rather just wrap you up in tinsel and kiss you senseless," Yunhyeong murmured, looking up at Jiwon with those dangerous eyes and threading a hand through the younger's hair. Jiwon had no idea why this was making him blush so hard. "Mm, I really don't need to get a puppy when I've already got you. You're more than enough."

Jiwon frowned, flicking Yunhyeong's forehead. "That's very offensive to puppies."

"No, it's not. You just don't know how great you are," Yunhyeong said, his eyes sparkling apologetically as his lips met Jiwon's jaw. "And I really haven't been telling you enough."

"I love you to pieces, you know that?"

"I know, baby."

"You're not losing me. And I don't want to lose you."

"That's the kind of thing boyfriends say."

The familiar rise of hope was there again and this time Jiwon didn't shoot it down as he smiled, smoothing a hand over the curve of Yunhyeong's waist. "Oh yeah?"

Yunhyeong buried back into the bed like the cutest thing alive, a smile peeking onto his lips too. "I'm pretty sure."

"But we're not boyfriends."

"Oh yes, you're very correct. But perhaps..."

"We should be?"

"You said it, not me."

"I hate you," Jiwon murmured fondly, and laughter bubbled out of Yunhyeong's mouth for the hundredth time that night and Jiwon would never get sick of it, not when it made the seeds Yunhyeong had planted a long time ago in his heart blossom more and more by the second. It was the best metaphor Jiwon could use to describe the bursting feeling, the tightening under his ribcage, the breathlessness even though he hadn't been moving.

Jiwon squeezed Yunhyeong's hand as he leant down to kiss Yunhyeong's soft lips again, and he could imagine Yunhyeong's delicate smile against him, his habit of his beautiful eyes fluttering open every now and then so he could see how Jiwon looked, the impeccably messy state his hair was in. Jiwon loved imagining it all, because he knew that he could open his eyes at any time to see it for _real_. That was the best part.

"You know another meaning of puppy love?" Yunhyeong whispered later when they were bundled up together and ready to sleep, still high on kisses, and Jiwon hummed sleepily in reply. "Hanbin texted it to me once. The most sincere form of love where the heart is open in a wild, reckless sort of way, and it knows no limits."

"I don't want a limit when I'm with you," Jiwon slurred, inching closer to Yunhyeong and the elder smiled in soft elation, kissing Jiwon's cheek.

"Exactly. I don't know which one is the right definition, or if any definition is quite 'right' but we know it's not bad."

"'Cause I love you...and love's not bad..."

"'Cause you love me, and love's not bad," Yunhyeong agreed, resting his forehead against Jiwon's and he smelt so good that Jiwon wanted to cry. Was that weird? "Don't think otherwise. Don't let me make you think otherwise either, I'm stupid."

"You are."

"Hey..."

"You're the one who said it."

"True," Yunhyeong sighed, and Jiwon snuggled up closer to him, the kind of snuggle where you're so near that you both have to cling onto each other for dear life, and Jiwon loved it. "Good night, pup."

Jiwon could have bit him but he decided to be civil. Otherwise Yunhyeong would take him to the vet to check for rabies. "Night."

 

**Author's Note:**

> since it's the year of the pig, aka 95 liner's year (cough cough) and i really wanted to get a yunbob out at least in the first month and I MADE IT! even though there's only one day of january left...but it countS. i really love yunbob so much omg they're sweet as hell 
> 
> also yeah, this is inspired by some recent yunbob moments on previous shows, you'll probably know what i'm talking about :* i hope you liked! LETS MAKE YUNBOB THRIVEEE


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